SWEDNET/ITHU, May 24th 2018

Arjen Wals

ICT as a driver and as a barrier to sustainable development - a

pedagogical perspective

Outline

§ The wicked nature of sustainability

§ Learning our way out of unsustainability?§ From biophilia to videophilia and back – entering ICT

§ The Big Five in Sustainability-oriented learningBREAK-OUT SESSION– SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION

§ Reporting Back Key Messages§Wrap-up and concluding remarks

Source: The Guardian

“While we marvel at Nasa’s discoveries, we destroy our irreplaceable natural resources – so we can buy pre-peeled bananas and smartphones for dogs”

George Monbiot, The Guardian, 30-09-2015

“There may be flowing water on Mars… But is there intelligent life on Earth?”

No simple questions, no simple answers

§ Are GMO-foods inevitable to feed the world?

§ Is human-caused climate change a fact?§ Are biofuels sustainable?

§ Are solar panels sustainable? Wind-turbines?§ Is ‘organic’ sustainable?

§ Is local food more sustainable than imported food?§ Are vegetables grown in cities healthy?

§ Are energy-saving light bulbs more sustainable than conventional ones?

§ Complexity and uncertainty

§ Confusion, ambiguity, extinction of truth,’ lack of trust’ in science and in government

§ Hyper-connectivity – erosion of meaning, short attention spans – loss of ‘place’ – ‘viral nonsense’

§ Dominant neo-liberal economic forces accelerate inequity and material values that normalize and breathe unsustainability

§ Need for continuous learning in a ‘reflexive’ society

Wicked problems in unusual times...

The Doughnut of social foundations and planetary boundaries (Raworth 2017)

Given today’s global challenges, can ICT-supported learning disrupt hegemonic mind-sets, routines and values and pave the way for alternative ones that lead to a more sustainable way of living?

From Biophilia to Videophilia and back

“Biophilia” is “the innate tendency to focus on life and lifelike processes” (Wilson, 1984)

“Videophilia” is defined as “the new human tendency to focus on sedentary activities involving electronic media” as watching TV/movie, home or theatre, surfing on internet or playing video games.

‘Nomophobia’ and ICT-addiction

ICT-driven Psychic Numbing

We are drowning in information while

starving for wisdomE.O. Wilson, 1998, p. 300)

A clear problem witha clear solution

PredictableStraightforwardObvious

Many familiar elementsHidden root coursesNon-linearInter-operating parts affect each other

Problem and solution not understood and keep shifting when we try to define them

Ambiguous, chaoticMany stakeholders withconflicting perspectivesMany elements are hiddenand unknownNo right/wrong solutionNot-quantifiableNo precedents

The problem and the solution are not clear but can be understood with timeS

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Prop

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Sum

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Sum

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Source: Rob Gibson, 2013

EASY TO SOLVE RESISTS SOLVING RESISTS DEFINING

‘Simple’

Wicked

‘Complex’

Authoritative

Hierarchical

Training

Participatory

Democratic

Social Learning

Open

Self-determined

Co-created

Closed

Predetermined

Prescribed

Authoritative

Hierarchical

Training

Participatory

Democratic

Social Learning

Open

Self-determined

Co-created

Closed

Predetermined

PrescribedInstructors Coaches

Facilitators & co-learners

Universal

Contextual

Active-empowered

Passive receivers Active receiversExtrinsic/external

Intrinsic/internal

Five interrelated key area’s for sustainability science & education

Area 1: Understanding change, complexity and transitionsArea 2: Dealing with values, ethics and moral dilemmas Area 3: Building agency and transformative capacity

Area 4: Utilizing diversity, uncertainty and dissonanceArea 5: Boundary crossing, systems thinking and

connectivism

Area 1: Understanding Change, Complexity & Transitions

Doing what we do better vs doing better things…

societal developmentstransitionincrementalte

chn

olo

gic

al d

evel

op

men

tstr

ansi

tion

incr

emen

tal

GMO

closed-cycle

designblue revolution

>food literacy

> resource efficiency

< food waste

circulareconomy

proteinalternatives

food justice

metropolitanagriculture

cradle-to-cradle

Adapted from Wageningen UR

A mix of approaches?

societal developmentstransitionincrementalte

chn

olo

gic

al d

evel

op

men

tstr

ansi

tion

incr

emen

talMOOCS

flippedclassroom

digi-boards

curriculum greening

alternativepedagogies

learningecologies

wholeinstitutionapproach

add-on

denial

build-in

whole system re-design

Area 2: Considering ethics and normativity

www.ianimal360.com

Area 3: Building Agency and Transformative Capacity

Area 4: Creating Vital Coalitions Utilising Diversity

Area 5: Boundary crossing & seeing connections

Source: creative commons

Source: CDI, MSP-Guide, Wageningen UR 2015

Break-out session

§ We will split in groups of 4-5 people. Every group will start with short introductions (who you are and why you are here). Two questions to be discussed. First one is the same for allgroups: How can ICT be used to connect studentsmeaningfully to wicked sustainability issues?

The second one focusses on one of the 5 learning areasdescribed. How can ICT help students:

1. understand change, complexity and transitions

2. deal with values, ethics and moral dilemmas

3. build agency and transformative capacity

4. utilize diversity, uncertainty and dissonance

5. cross-boundaries, think holistically/relationally

Sustain”abilities”Sustainability competence Examples of sustain’abilities’

Dynamics and content of sustainability

Sustainability literacy Systems thinking Adopting an integral view Learning to know

Critical dimension of sustainability

Questioning hegemony and routines, Analysing normativity Disruptiveness, transgression Learning to critique

Change and innovation dimension of sustainability

Leadership and entrepreneurship Unlocking creativity, utilizing diversity Appreciating chaos & complexity Adaptation, resilience Empowerment and collective change Learning to make change

Existential and normative dimension of sustainability

Connecting with people, places and other species Passion, values and meaning-making Moral positioning, considering ethics, boundaries and limits Learning to be, learning to care

Responsible Research and Inquiry

Source: Tassone et al. in press

Adapted from Siemens, G. (2005)

Strands of Citizen Science

Expert-driven Civilian driven

Closed

Open

Science driven citizen science

Policy driven citizen science

Transition civic science

Curiosity driven citizen science

After: Dillon, Stevenson & Wals (2016) Moving from Citizen Science to Civic Science in Tackling Wicked Conservation Issues, CB

Why Citizen Science?

1. 1. Civilians can become more meaningfully engaged when they are

empowered and equiped to monitor data about their own environment

2. 2. Civilians come to understand the nature of scientific knowledge, the

meaning of data (validity & reliability) better when actively engaged in

scientific inquiry.

3. 3. Civilians discover how easy and quickly one can become an expert in a

specific issue in their own local environment.

4. 4. Access to cheap ICT with enormous monitoring and storing capacity

makes ‘doing science’ easier and more affordable.

5. 5. By self-monitoring the impact of one’s own actions, one can become

more reflexive and effective in bringing about change.

Source: UNESCO - GEM2016

Closing questions

§ Should all education engage with sustainability or should there be designated spaces for such engagement?

§ How can the five key learning areas identified become a bigger part of higher education?

§ How can ICT-assist the development of sustain”abilities”?§What does this imply for teacher’s professional

development university’s? What’s there already? What may need more attention?

Any questions?

Source: Banksy

Twitter: @arjenwals

Email: arjen.wals@wur.nl

Blog: www.transformativelearning.nl